Tower and Town, November 2023

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Clergy Letter

I grew up in Wootton, just South of Oxford, where my Dad was the Vicar of St Peter’s. In that pretty, ancient church I learnt to hand out the hymn books and smile at people as they came in. We had a special slim mower to cut between the graves. It had a wind up start and I loved using it.

Every Sunday Dad would walk down the aisle in the service, turn to face East, and lead the intercessions. Without fail we would pray ‘for the troubles in Norther Ireland and for justice and peace in South Africa’. The prayers must have been so regular that at one Sunday lunch I blurted out: ‘Why do we keep praying for the same old stuff? Nothing changes anyway.’

Dad patiently explained that we prayed for these two countries as they had serious problems, and also simply because the Bishop had asked every parish to do so. For years afterwards I felt I had the upper hand – boring old St Peter’s with its monotonous prayers. Then came the 1990s and the situation in Northern Ireland and South Africa improved dramatically. The transition away from apartheid became known as ‘the Anglican miracle’. Who couldn’t but be impressed by the grace shown by Nelson Mandela?

I felt chastened and a little more circumspect about the power of prayer (Matthew 18). Groups of people, even in very traditional churches (and none), had prayed persistently and consistently over decades. Jesus commended the persistence of a widow for ‘banging on’ at a judge to gain the justice she sought (Luke 18). To St Peter’s credit the miracles did eventually come.

As we look at the hidden war in Yemen, the drawn-out war in Ukraine and the new war in Israel it’s very easy to lose heart. How can human beings who are made in the image of God kill and maim each other? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I do know where to take the problem. Jesus said at his ascension that, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’ (Matthew 28). These problems look impossible for our authorities, but as the angel said to Mary, ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 1). Situations that look totally hopeless can be turned around through prayer. Can we follow the example set by St Peter’s in the 1970s and 80s and consistently, persistently pray for peace? I hope and pray that together we can; our world certainly needs us to.

‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ Psalm 122 v.6

Chris Smith